1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a washing machine that improves washing efficiency using the generation of bubbles and the rotation of a drum and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a washing machine (i.e., a drum type washing machine) is an apparatus, including a water tub to store water (wash water or rinse water), and a cylindrical drum rotatably installed in the water tub to receive laundry. The washing machine also includes a motor to generate a drive force necessary to rotate the drum, to lift the laundry in the drum along the inner wall of the drum and drop the lifted laundry, during the rotation of the drum, thereby washing the laundry.
The washing machine performs washing through a series of operations, e.g., a washing operation to separate contaminants from laundry with water containing detergent (specifically, wash water), a rinsing operation to rinse out bubbles or residual detergent from the laundry with water containing no detergent (specifically, rinse water), and a spin-drying operation to spin-dry the laundry at high velocity. In the washing operation, when a user selects a washing course, the washing machine detects the weight (load amount) of the laundry to determine the amount of wash water, supplies water sufficient to wet the laundry and detergent into the water tub according to the determined amount of wash water, and performs a washing operation by a force to transmit wash liquid (water and detergent) to the laundry and drop the laundry through the rotation of the drum.
In a conventional washing machine, however, a space between the water tub and the drum is filed with water to perform the washing. As a result, water consumption is high, and a large amount of detergent is used. For washing with warm or hot water, a large amount of energy may be necessary to increase the temperature of supplied water.
Also, it may be necessary to effectively transmit the water liquid to the laundry placed in the washing machine at the center of the washing machine so as to improve washing efficiency. However, it may be difficult to raise the level of the water without additional water due to the structural characteristics of the washing machine. Furthermore, the detergent supplied with the wash water may not be efficiently transmitted into the washing machine. As a result, the concentration of the water liquid may drop, and therefore, high-concentration washing may not be achieved.